Jn. 19:25-27, Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

I. The parental principle.
A. Ex. 20:12, Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
B. Eph. 6:1-3, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth.

II. The remarkable character of Mary.
A. Lk. 1:28-29, 38, And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. . . And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

B. Lk. 2:34-35, And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

C. Lk. 2:48-51, And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

D. Jn. 7:5, For neither did his brethren believe in him.

E. Acts 1:14, These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

"The Lord Jesus evidenced His perfection in the manner in which He fully discharged the obligations of every relationship that He sustained, either to God or man. On the cross we behold His tender care and solicitude for His mother, and in this we have the pattern of Jesus Christ presented to all children for their imitation, teaching them how to acquit themselves toward their parents according to the laws of nature and grace. The words which the finger of God engraved on the two tables of stone, and which were given to Moses on Mount Sinai, have never been repealed. They are in force while the earth lasts. Each of them is embodied in the preceptive teaching of the New Testament." Arthur W. Pink

"We have already seen how the act of Christ in committing Mary into the hands of His disciple was an expression of His tender love and foresight. For John to take charge of the widowed mother of the Saviour was a blessed commission, and a precious legacy. When Christ said to him, 'Behold thy mother', it was as though He had said, Let her be to thee as thine own mother; let thy love for me be now manifested in thy tender regard for her. Yet there was far more behind this act of Christ than that. Of old it had been predicted that the Lord Jesus should act wisely and discreetly. Through Isaiah God had said, 'Behold, my servant shall deal prudently' (52:13). In commending His mother to the care of His beloved apostle the Saviour displayed wise discrimination in His choice of the one who was henceforth to be her guardian. Perhaps there was none who understood the Lord Jesus so well as His mother, and it is almost certain that none had apprehended His love so deeply as had John. We see therefore how they would befit companions for each other, inasmuch as there was an intimate bond of common sympathy uniting them together and uniting them to Christ! Thus there was none other so well suited to take care of Mary, none whose company she would find so congenial, and on the other hand, there was none whose fellowship John would more enjoy." Arthur W. Pink

"The Lord Jesus was dying as the Saviour for sinners. He was engaged in the most momentous and the most stupendous undertaking that this earth ever has or ever will witness. He was on the point of offering satisfaction to the outraged justice of God. He was just about to do that work for which the world had been made, for which the human race had been created, for which all the ages had waited, and for which He, the eternal Word, had become incarnate. Nevertheless, He does not overlook the responsibilities of natural ties; He fails not to make provision for her who, according to the flesh, was His mother." Arthur W. Pink

"This care for His mother in His dying hour was characteristic of all His conduct. Everything was natural and perfect. The unstudied simplicity about Him is most marked. There was nothing pompous or ostentatious. Many of His mightiest works were done on the highway, in the cottage, or among a little group of sufferers. Many of His words, which today are still unfathomable and exhaustless in their wealth of meaning, were uttered almost casually as He walked with a few friends. So it was at the cross. He was performing that mightiest work of all history. He was engaged in doing that, which in comparison, the creating of a world fades into utter insignificance, yet He forgets not to make provision for His mother, much as He might have done had they been together in the home at Nazareth. Rightly was it said of old, 'His name shall be called Wonderful' (Isa. 9:6). Wonderful He was in all that He did. Wonderful He was in every relationship that He sustained. Wonderful He was in His person, and wonderful He was in His work. Wonderful was He in life, and wonderful was He in death. Let us wonder and adore." Arthur W. Pink

"Christ tenderly provided for His mother at His death. Sometimes, when God removes one comfort from us, He raises up another for us, where we looked not for it. Christ's example teaches all men to honor their parents in life and death, to provide for their wants, and to promote their comfort by every means in their power." Matthew Henry

"Behold, my beloved disciple shall be to you a son, and provide for you, and discharged or to the duties of an affectionate child. Jesus, in His dying moments, filled with tender regard for His mother, secured for her an adopted son, obtaining for her a home, and consoled her grief by the prospect of attention from him who was the most beloved of all the disciples. What an example of filial attention. What a model to all children. And how lovely the dying Saviour, thus remembering His afflicted mother, and making her welfare one of His last cares on the cross, and even when making atonement for sin." Albert Barnes

"Even in His bitter anguish Jesus took fought for His mother. He saw her and the disciple whom He loved, and said to her, 'Woman, behold thy son.' This is surely a way of saying that the beloved disciple would take His place in being her protector and provider, now that His earthly course was finished. It is perhaps a little strange that Jesus commends Mary to the beloved disciple rather than to His brothers. But they did not yet believe in Him, and Mary did. Shortly after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, however, we find them associated with the apostles and with Mary." Leon Morris

"The evangelist here mentions incidentally, that while Christ obeyed God the Father, He did not fail to perform the duty which He owed, as a son, towards His mother. He did not neglect what He owed to His mother; hence we learn in what manner we ought to discharge our duty towards God and towards men. If we attend to the time and place when these things happened, Christ's affection for His mother was worthy of admiration. I say nothing about the severe tortures of His body; I say nothing about the reproach which He suffered; but, though horrible blasphemy is against God filled His mind with inconceivable grief, and though He sustained a dreadful contest with eternal death and the devil, still, none of these things prevent Him from being thoughtful about His mother. We may also learn from this passage, what is the honour which God, by the law, commands us to render to parents. Christ appoints the disciple to be His substitute, and charges him to support and take care of His mother in the discharge of all necessary duties." John Calvin